1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a press-contact connector assembly and more particularly to a press-contact connector assembly suitable for an automobile harness.
2. Statement of the Prior Art
For convenience of explanation, a conventional wire harness and a lighting socket joint for an automobile will be described by referring to drawings.
FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a conventional wire harness; FIG. 23 is a plan view of a conventional wire harness, illustrating an example of branched electrical cable; FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the branched electrical cable; FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a conventional socket joint for a lighting fixture, illustrating a connection between the joint and the harness; and FIG. 26 is a perspective view of another conventional socket joint for a lighting fixture, illustrating a connection between the joint and the harness.
As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, in a lighting fixture harness 1 for an automobile, it is necessary to branch a single cable into a plurality of wires in order to turn a plurality of lights on and off. FIG. 24 shows a general branched harness. An electrical cable 2 to serve as a main line is stripped of its sheath at an intermediate portion while an electrical cable 3 to serve as a branched line is stripped of its sheath at an end portion. Exposed conductors of the cables 2 and 3 are coupled to each other by means of a metal clamp 4 and insulated with a tape. In order to prevent the branched portions from shorting, each branched portion is shifted by a small distance on a single harness. After forming the branched cable, a plurality of cables are bundled together by means of tape. Connectors not shown are connected to the end of the cable 3 to be branched.
The prior harness described above requires a number of forming process such as sheath-stripping, clamp-pressing, and tape-winding upon branching the electrical cable and shifting upon stripping the sheath, and further connector-coupling at the branched end.
There is also known as a method of branching a cable, a method wherein a metal member is provided with a press-contact slot and accommodated in a plastic case together with an electrical cable for press-contact joining to thereby enable branching. However, even if the electrical cable is branched by a press-contact process, it is impossible to eliminate a process of press-contacting a connector terminal with the cable. Further, the cost of the press-contact joint connector is high.
On the other hand, a connector may be press-contacted to an intermediate portion of an electrical cable so as to parallelly connect a plurality of base plates to a common base in a computer device. In the case that such a connection is applied to a harness for an automobile, branched lines project from the harness, since the branched lines vertically extend from a main line. This connection cannot be used in the automobile harness in view of its space, since it must be arranged in a narrow space generally.
Since the branched line will swing and thus be unstable, it generates noise when it hits a car body under vibration.
As the prior press-contact connector is connected to and supported by an electronic circuit base plate, it is not necessary to provide a holder which secures the connector itself to a frame. Accordingly, the prior press-contact connector must be secured to a car body by another coupler if it is used in a car harness. In this case, it is not impossible to connect the coupler to a connector body. However, the connector body will contact with the car body and a cable is arranged on the connector body since the cable is press-contacted to the rear face of the connector body. This results in difficulty in coupling a pair of connectors.
In particular, the cable to be a branched line projects into an interior of an automobile when the cable to be a main line is arranged on a wall of the interior, thereby reducing an effective space in the car interior. A package will rub or hit the projected cable when the package is carried into or out of the car interior. Breakage of the cable may result.
In addition, for example, a lighting fixture for decorating a Christmas tree connects a plurality of electrical lamps to a pair of electrical power supply lines. In this case, it is necessary to branch electrical cables at many positions between the pair of power supply lines to be the main lines to connect electrical sockets to the lines.
Heretofore, measures for making such branched wiring are known as shown in FIGS. 25 and 26.
In FIG. 25, an electrical power supply line 2a to be a main line is stripped off a sheath at an intermediate portion, each of leads 3a for electrical lamp sockets 1a to be a branched line is stripped off a sheath at an end portion, and exposed conductor portions are connected to each other by a metal clamp 4. After connecting them, a vinyl tape 5 covers over the metal portions to insulate them.
On the other hand, in FIG. 26, a terminal 6 is provided at an end with a pair of electrical power supply terminal portions 6a to be connected to electrodes of the lighting fixture 8 and at the other end with a crimping portion 6b for coupling two cables while a casing 7 is provided to accommodate the electrodes of the lighting fixture 8. The power supply lines 1a are cut off, opposite ends 1a', 1a' are stripped of sheath, and the ends 1a', 1a' are juxtaposed and connected to each other by the crimping portion 6b of the terminal 6. After the lines 1a are connected to the pair of terminals 6, the terminals 6 and lighting fixture 8 are inserted into the casing 7.
It is necessary to prepare a special tool since the cables must be connected after stripping them in the prior socket for the lighting fixture. This is a troublesome operation. In particular, the former case requires a stripping process of an intermediate portion of the supply lines.